Tag Archives: Bashar Assad

Noor Rabah, vice president of Muslim Community Patrol & Services, outside the Police Department’s 72nd Precinct, with a car the group intends to use to patrol neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Credit…James Keivom for The New York Times

Media tends not to link terrorist attacks, seeing each one in isolation. But to understand what is happening, attacks need to be linked for us to see the complete picture.

Two recent terrorist attacks are clearly linked, even though the media has not brought it out. London and Pensacola, Florida.

In London, two young people were knifed to death near London Bridge. Their assailant, Usman Khan, had been freed from prison, less that 50% of the way through his sentence for terrorist activities. In Florida, a few days later, a Saudi Arabian pilot in the US for training suddenly turned on other young people, killing three, one of whom was a fellow Muslim. In both cases, sadly, young people were brutally murdered. None of these people was equipped to see the Muslims in their midst as a threat.

But they were. And I wonder how many others are, too.

In the same week, we saw Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, visit Auschwitz. There is a connection here, too. She was there to show the horrors of anti-Semitism, at a time when anti-Semitic acts are on the increase, including a synagogue attack on Yom Kippur, which left two dead. She wasn’t only highlighting anti-Semitism. She was also defending her decision to allow into the country more than a million refugees, many of whom were from the Middle East. Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia are often linked. They should not be.

There was and is no justification for anti-Semitism. Islamophobia, on the other hand, is a perfectly rational response to violent acts perpetrated by Muslims (London and Florida being the latest). The Islamic Conference of 57 Muslims countries recently asked the United Nations to ban Islamophobia. This could give countries an excuse to favor Muslims over others.

The only way to overcome Islamophobia, a fear of Muslims, is for Muslims to stop committing violent acts. Unless and until that happens, there will always be Islamophobia.

The latest anti-semitic incident took place on Tuesday in Jersey City, NJ. Two people, both members of the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, entered a kosher store and shot three Jews dead. In a seven-hour gun battle with police, one policeman was shot dead, a father with five children. The two perpetrators were also killed.

——————————————————

NYC MUSLIM PATROLS

“Bullying” and “gangster-like” tactics have been reported by locals in New York areas where the Muslim Community Patrol & Services operates. These tactics are beginning to create a backlash against the self-described “civilian patrol organization” among local residents.

The Muslim patrol gained international attention in the fall of 2018 after several of its patrol cars, which look like New York Police Department (NYPD) cars, were spotted in Brooklyn and Staten Island.

The patrol originally said its purpose was to serve as a liaison between Muslims and the NYPD. But after two consecutive mosque shootings in New Zealand last March, where a gunman live-streamed his murder of 51 Muslims on Facebook, the patrol publicly altered its purpose.

It now describes itself as a law enforcement organization, claiming its goal is to “protect members of the local community from escalating quality-of-life nuisance crimes.” It’s precisely that “law enforcement” definition that is now landing the Muslim patrol into hot water with New York City residents, particularly those living in the Brooklyn area of Bedford-Stuyvesant.

“They are bullying people and getting out of their patrol cars looking like gangsters,” said one resident, who asked to remain anonymous. “The people in Bed-Stuy don’t want them there.”

The Muslim patrol originally had a force of three patrol cars when it first formed in November 2018, but it now has seven cars on the streets of New York with the intention of purchasing 23 more cars in the near future. The Muslim patrol’s cars are nearly identical to NYPD patrol cars. Both use Ford Taurus’ and have similar decal schemes, colors and emblems. Though the Muslim patrol cars do not have lights on their hoods, they do have emergency flashing lights in the front and back windshields.

“A lot of people can’t tell them apart,” said the resident. “In fact, most people think they are NYPD detective cars, especially if they are driving behind you.”

Significantly, some Muslim patrol “officers” have been driving their patrol cars with their emergency lights in continuous flash mode, even when not responding to an emergency.

“They never turn them off and people are seeing these lights and thinking [they are] NYPD,” the resident said. The cars also have sirens, which another neighborhood resident says is being used to intimidate people. “They turn on their sirens when they see non-Muslims park next to a mosque during Friday prayer services,” said another resident. (Clarion Project, 12/9)

——————————————————

NEED FOR EUROPEAN ARMY TO REPLACE US

An EU Army – Former German finance minister Joschka Fischer calls on the EU to develop defense autonomy before Donald Trump pulls the plug on Europe’s security blanket: “Macron understands that the rupture in Europe’s defense following a withdrawal of US troops would be far more severe than many seem to expect. It would unfold not as some gradual, barely noticeable transition, but as a sudden break.

If Europe wants to prevent or at least delay that outcome, it must make substantial investments in its military and expand its own capabilities on a massive scale. In other words, it must act as if the break has already happened.” (The Financial Times, 12/5/2019)

—————————————————————

NATO ANNIVERSARY SUMMIT

In spite of fierce internal conflicts, NATO is enhancing its operational readiness, is preparing its next expansion, and is setting its sights on China as a new “challenge.” These are the main results of the war alliance’s anniversary summit, which ended in London yesterday, with the participation of the heads of states and governments of the member countries. As early as next year, NATO will be able to deploy 30 army, air force and naval units in a war within a 30-day maximum. At the London summit, North Macedonia, which is about to join the Alliance, was represented for the first time. In the future, NATO will extensively concern itself with China, however, not exclusively confrontational, as Washington would have wanted. The conflict with Turkey did not escalate, even though the dissentions between Ankara and various other allied states, by no means, had been resolved. In fact, the Turkish government has implicitly been given a blank check for its heavily criticized activities in the occupation of Northern Syria. (German foreign policy, 12/6/2019)

————————————————————-

FRANCE TO FILL VOID LEFT BY US

France laid out a new posture for itself in discussions in the Gulf this week, chiding the Americans for not standing up to Iran’s threats against Saudi Arabia and other countries. Paris now wants to play a more robust role in maritime security as Washington’s influence declines across the region.

French Defense Minister Florence Parly condemned America for leaving the Iran deal and also condemned Iran at the Manama Dialogue confab in Bahrain over the weekend. The conference is organized by the International Institute of Strategic Studies and has foreign ministers and leaders from the region, as well as security and defense officials, in attendance.

“We’ve seen deliberate, gradual US disengagement,” she said. She also slammed former president Barack Obama for leaving the “fighter jets on the tarmac,” according to France24, a reference to the US decision in 2013 not to punish Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria for chemical weapons attacks. (Seth Frantzman, MEF, 11/26/2019; from Jerusalem Post)

Hawks arrest ‘Crusaders terrorist movement’ leader, discover suspected explosives factory. Another suspected member of the National Christian Resistance Movement (NCRM), also known as the “Crusaders,” has been arrested – this time in Cape Town, the Hawks said on Friday.

A team descended on the man’s business premises in Kuils River on Thursday and arrested him for the illegal possession of a firearm, explosives and explosive devices, said Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi. “The suspect is believed to have links with the other four suspects who have already been arrested and charged for alleged terrorist activities,” he said. The 46-year-old man was expected to appear in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court later on Friday. Harry Knoesen, the self-professed leader of the NCRM, was arrested at his Mpumalanga home on terrorism-related charges last week. Possible explosives factory: This followed a two-year Hawks investigation into an alleged terrorist plot “apparently co-ordinated by the group to target national key points, shopping malls and informal settlements,” Mulaudzi said. Knoesen, 60, is a former national defense force member and retired pastor. He was apprehended and charged for terrorism-related activities in contravention of the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorism and Related Activities Act as well as the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. A search at his other residence in the Eastern Cape, according to the Hawks, uncovered a possible explosives factory, electronic devices and documents as well an unlicensed firearm and ammunition that were seized for further analysis. His arrest was soon followed by three others, including that of Riana Heymans, in Kliprivier, Johannesburg. “Various firearms and ammunition, documents and other items were confiscated by the Criminal Record Centre (CRC) for further probing,” Mulaudzi said.

Heyman, 54, together with brothers Eric Abrams, 55, and Errol Abrams, 49, appeared briefly with Knoesen in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday. They will remain in police custody until their next court appearance on January 12, 2020. Mulaudzi said their investigation continued.

Rabbi Daniel Asore, a member of the nascent Sanhedrin, noted that the Pope’s intentions were precisely as presented, with no subterfuge at all.

“The Pope wants to unify all religions and all governments under one world order,” Rabbi Asore said. “What is the big surprise? He is not hiding anything. Just listen to what he says and who he is and his plans are right there for all to see.”

The rabbi noted that Pope Francis was unique in several respects; he is the first pope from the southern hemisphere and, most significantly, he is the first Jesuit to be appointed to the position. Though established by papal order in 1540 to stop the spread of Protestantism and convert the indigenous peoples of Africa and the Americas, the Jesuit order has historically been treated with suspicion by the Catholic Church for being power-hungry.

“Brotherhood is a wonderful thing but one religion is only good if it is worshipping the true God,” Rabbi Asore said. “The pope’s vision of brotherhood does not prevent him from sitting in front of a gold idol or uniting with Ishmael. If he wants one religion, we know what God he is not worshipping.”

Pope Francis has come under fire before for connecting the Catholic Church with the children of Ishmael. In 2015, 71 elders of the Sanhedrin tried the Pope in absentia for recognizing a “State of Palestine” with an official treaty. By doing so, the Sanhedrin claimed, the Pope was denying the covenant as described in the Bible in which God gives the land of Israel to the descendants of Jacob.

Pope Francis has also made displays similar to his sitting barefoot in front of the Golden idol of Buddha in Bangkok that showed a shocking level of tolerance for idolatry. In October, a video emerged of what appears to be Pope Francis blessing a Pachama Goddess statue.

Pope Francis has also taken on a policy in which homosexuals are welcomed into the church so much so that the American LGBT magazine The Advocate named Pope Francis their Person of the Year for 2013.

Palestinian Preacher Yusuf Al-Makharze: Allah Wants Girls To Be Married Off When They Start Menstruating; Our Leaders Have No Right To Prevent This From Happening (MEMRI, 12/8)

“Israel has always embraced this path [of liberty] in a Middle East that has long rejected it. In a region where women are stoned, gays are hanged, Christians are persecuted, Israel stands out. It is different.” – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to the U.S. Senate, 2011.

The WorldBank’s board approved a plan to extend up to $1.5bn per year in low-interest loans to China over the next five years, despite American objections. Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury, said it was time the bank stopped giving financial support to China. For China the amount is piddling; what it values is the World Bank’s advice on policy. (The Economist, 12/6/2019)

Germany’s industrial output in October fell 1.7% year-on-year. The figures were worse than expected, affected by uncertainty over the US-China trade war and Brexit, and by problems in the auto industry. Germany may not technically be in recession, after a third-quarter expansion of 0.1%, but the gloom shows no sign of lifting. (The Economist, 12/6/2019)

“The five English speaking democracies have heaps in common. All are free-talking, free enterprise loving places (though they often fall short of these ideals). They are attractive places, too. Between them, they draw in two-thirds of the world’s highly skilled immigrants. By contrast, of the 750 million people who Gallup reports would like to migrate, only 1% want to move to the People’s Republic. Sydney alone has more foreign-born residents than mainland China.” (Anglosphere v Sinosphere, The World in 2020, The Economist).

Namibia wants to follow Zimbabwe into starvation. Namibia wants to get rid of its white farmers. Twenty years ago, Zimbabwe did the same and millions of people have starved since. Recently, there were calls to allow the white farmers to return. South Africa is also forcing white farmers off their land. Expect the entire region of southern Africa to face endless food shortages in the years to come. The white farmers are commercial farmers, farming on a big scale. African farmers are subsistence farmers, producing only enough to feed their own families.

Nancy Pelosi, on the defensive, was asked if she hates Donald Trump. She actually said that, as a Catholic, she does not hate anybody as if no Catholic ever hated anybody. Perhaps the Inquisition never happened. At times, the Impeachment hearings have resembled the self-righteous ecclesiastical court. No hatred? No inquisition? No wonder we’re doomed to repeat history!

An image grab taken from Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV on November 5, 2017 shows Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanon’s militant Shiite movement Hezbollah, giving a televised address from an undisclosed location in Lebanon. / AFP PHOTO

“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that it’s desolation is near” (Luke 21:20).

Special Dispatch No. 7328

Pro-Hizbullah Lebanese Website: “Hizbullah Has 70,000 Iranian Missiles Across Syria Ready To Launch Into Israel; In A Year It Will Have 500,000” (MEMRI, 2/12)

***************

Iran has 10 military bases in Syria, two near Israel border — analyst

Up to 20,000 fighters trained by Tehran are in country, now focused on Israel, after neutralizing IS threat, NY Times reports Times of Israel * 19 Feb 2018

Iran operates 10 military bases in Syria and is training militias loyal to President Bashar Assad’s regime for a possible battle with Israel, with two key facilities located near the border with Israel, an analyst for an American think tank said in an article published Monday. Up to 20,000 fighters from various militias throughout the war-torn country have been trained by Iranian military personnel, giving Tehran its “true muscle” in Syria, according to the Monday report in The New York Times. Israel has been warning for years that Iran is seeking to entrench itself militarily in Syria. According to Israeli political and military assessments, Tehran, which has shored up Assad in the Syrian civil war, has been working to create air and naval bases in Syria, from which it can arm the Lebanon-based terror organization Hezbollah and other Shiite groups, as well as carry out attacks of its own against the Jewish state. Monday’s report said hundreds or thousands of Iranian military officials are in Syria and that about 6,000 of the Iran-trained combatants in the country are members of Hezbollah, with the rest coming from Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other countries. Most of them view the battle against non-Shiite Muslims and against non-Muslims in the region in religious terms, the report added.

DW remains an excellent source of European news. The German news program is shown on PBS on weekday evenings.

On Monday it reported the appointment of Chancellor Merkel’s “heir apparent”, Annegret Kram-Karrenbauer, as General Secretary of the conservative Christian Democrats. This is a role that Mrs. Merkel had before becoming Chancellor – the same development could happen again. Already, the media has dubbed her “Mini-Merkel”.

On the same evening news program, it was reported that the latest polls show support for the left-wing Social Democrats is plummeting. At the same time, the “extreme right wing party, AfD, continues to rise dramatically. DW’s Oliver Sallet commented that “this is unheard of. It has never happened before in (the Federal Republic of) Germany. The general trend continues, which is the rise of the Right in Germany.”

***************

RENEW LAUNCHED IN UK

Prior to the above news item, the program reported the launch of a new party in the United Kingdom. “Renew” is dedicated to reversing the Brexit decision.

Britain remains very divided on whether the country should restore its independence, or further immerse itself in the German dominated European Union.

It’s also reported that the American billionaire George Soros has donated 600,000 pounds to try to ensure Britain does not go ahead with Brexit; at the same time, the CEO of Bank of America is speaking out against it. Neither of these men is British. In the US, the nightly news frequently brings up Russian interference in the last US election. It’s time the British government condemned outside interference in Brexit. This is a British matter for the British people to decide.

***************

TRADE WAR GETTING WORSE

Chart du jour: Donald Trump, look away now

The EU’s trade surplus with the US jumped in 2017 and Donald Trump won’t be happy about it. Having already dubbed Germany a potential “currency exploiter,” the White House will be wincing at new figures which show EU exports to the States jumped 3 per cent last year to €375bn. Bloomberg reckons the figures could further strain trans-Atlantic trade ties between the two economic giants. (FT 2/16)

***************

RECOMMENDED FAMILY SHOW

Friends recommended “When Calls the Heart,” which is available on Netflix. The show is now in its fifth season on Hallmark.

It centers on the development of a small town “the other side of the Rockies” and the relationship between a Canadian Mountie and an adventurous school teacher from a wealthy family. It’s a very good family show.

Prior to watching it, I was saying to my wife that we have watched good programs from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and the USA, but nothing from Canada. Now, finally, here’s a series set in Canada. That’s not the same as being “Canadian.” Hallmark, a US based channel, has left its prints all over it. Even the Mountie is an import from Australia!

King Edward VII conferred the title “Royal” on the Mounties in 1904, six years before the series is set. At the time, all outposts of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) would have displayed a photo of the King in their office. Schools would, too, as any reader of “Anne of Green Gables” knows. (Perhaps, we can overlook this as the school in the series meets in a saloon!) The government is referred to as “the federal government,” whereas Canadians refer to the government in Ottawa as the “Government of Canada.” Additionally, the only time any political subject has come up in the series, it’s been about US presidents. Also, New York, San Francisco and Hollywood have received special mention, as if they are a part of the same province.

In other words, a very uplifting series is slightly marred by historical error, which could have been avoided. Hallmark missed an opportunity to teach Americans about their bigger neighbor to the North.

It’s not very often that Philippians 4:8 comes to mind when watching a television series. But it did with this one:

Philippians 4:8 NKJV – “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.”

There is no bad language in this series, no sex and minimal violence. My wife and I recommend it as good family viewing, suitable for our grandchildren.

One final comment: famously, Mounties always get their man, but the Mountie in this series is taking a very long time to get his woman! It’s sometimes painful watching what must be one of the slowest courtships in dramatic history. It’s good, though, for teens today to see how people used to court the opposite sex.

Justin Trudeau has just become the 29th Canadian prime minister. Son of the most famous Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, the new PM also leads the Liberal Party. His party received 39% of the vote. Conservative Stephen Harper, who has led the country for almost a decade, conceded defeat.

Canadian elections do not normally make a big difference. This one might.

Within 24 hours of taking over, Mr. Trudeau ordered the Royal Canadian Air Force to stop bombing ISIS in Syria, thereby effectively withdrawing from the Coalition against the terror group. By doing this, it is hoped that Canada will not suffer further terrorist attacks.

This decision came a day after ISIS called for Palestinians in Israel to step up their attacks on Israelis. Instead of stabbing Jews or running them over, they are now being urged to set them alight. The strength of ISIS is in Syria and Iraq. Mr. Trudeau’s second act is likely to be opening the doors wider for Syrian refugees, ironically a move that almost guarantees further terrorist attacks. What’s happening in Israel is almost certainly going to become a daily occurrence in Europe, North America and Australia in the months and years to come.

However, it’s all part of a trend throughout Western countries, of compromise with Islam, compromise that is assuredly leading to the Death of the West.

Yesterday, Bret Stephens, one of my favorite writers, wrote in his weekly Wall Street Journal column, that Europe is compromising itself out of existence, pointing out the same threat from Islam. The Europeans are unwilling to spend more on defense and are yielding to international pressure on immigration. He seemed to write off European civilization, which is now in its death throes. Europe has lost its way.

“What Europeans no longer believe in are the things from which their beliefs spring: Judaism and Christianity; liberalism and the Enlightenment; martial pride and capability; capitalism and wealth. Still less do they believe in fighting or sacrificing or paying or even arguing for these things. Having ignored and undermined their own foundations, they wonder why their house is coming apart.” (“In Defense of Christendom,” Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal, 10/19/15).

What Mr. Stephens had to say was absolutely correct, as is almost always the case when he writes. What he did not say, however, is that the same suicidal tendencies exist on this side of the Atlantic, as we saw in Monday’s Canadian election. We see it also in the US, as I wrote last week in my post “Islamization continues.”

While Americans may lament the state of Europe, they often fail to see the same problems in the US.

It’s true that Europeans no longer believe in the Judeo-Christian beliefs that were a part of their history, but nor do most Americans.

Mr. Stephens also wrote: “Europe is dying because it has become morally incompetent. It isn’t that Europe stands for nothing. It’s that it stands for shallow things, shallowly. Europeans believe in human rights, tolerance, openness, peace, progress, the environment, pleasure. These beliefs are all very nice, but they are also secondary.”

Europeans, North Americans and Australians have turned their backs on their Judeo-Christian heritage and can no longer see clearly the threats posed to their existence.

They should heed the words from that Christian heritage: “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). The West has lost its vision.

The entire Western world is compromising itself out of existence.

I should add that not all Europeans have lost their vision – Russia’s leader still has his. The world woke up today to see Syria’s President Bashar Assad in Moscow, visiting his benefactor and protector, Vladimir Putin. Russian military might is making a big difference in Syria. This is the first time in four years the Syrian president has felt secure enough to leave the country! Putin has the will to defeat ISIS –whether he can or not remains to be seen.

With that in mind, note the following headline from MEMRI (The Middle East Media Research Institute):

“Australian Islamic Leader Al-Wahwah: Syria Will Become The Graveyard Of The Russian Czars And The Infidel West.”